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Saturday, January 21, 2012

Oman : Suspected Congo fever claims one in Buraimi

" The spread of a tick-borne viral disease is “creating panic” in a Buraimi hospital after an expatriate with the symptoms of the viral infection died in the intensive care unit of the hospital in the wee hours of Thursday.

A Bangladeshi man died due to Crimean–Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF), an infectious disease in animals that can be transmitted to people, after a multiple organ failure, according to medics.

“The patient was brought to the hospital last Tuesday. He had high fever and nasal bleeding. After lab tests, it was confirmed that the patient was infected by the tick-borne viral disease called Congo fever. Within 48 hours, his condition worsened. He suffered from multiple organ failure. He died in the wee hours of Thursday,” a medic in the hospital told Times of Oman.

Alert sounded

“The infectious disease department is on alert now. The medics, hospital employees and other patients have been given anti-viral medicines. Whosoever was in touch with the patient has been given the anti-viral dose,” the medic said, adding that the authorities concerned have taken steps to contain the spread of the disease in the entire area.

Though the infection is transmitted to humans by the bite of a tick, an increasing number of cases have also been reported to have occurred among medical and nursing staff caring for the patients in hospitals and laboratories."